There’s something to be said for meticulously planning a vacation escape, picking the right place, the right time, and then going for it. There’s something else for just getting out of dodge after a long, awful week. Here are some tricks to make the latter as luxurious as possible.

If you’re traveling to Europe, getting a rental car or taking the train both have pros and cons that can make it hard to choose. Travel guru Rick Steves lays out what to consider when deciding between the two for your next vacation.

If you’re traveling on Amtrak and have got a lot of luggage, make use of their free bag service for an easier trip. You’ll be able to board early and won’t have to worry about hauling heavy bags to the storage area.

If you prefer to take the train rather than fly, The Points Guy has a guide that will be very useful for you. It compares U.S. routes where travel by train is cheaper, and sometimes quicker, than by plane. The comparisons include cost in both dollars and Amtrak rewards points.

Most of you said that you commute at least an hour to work every day. If you're tired of the long commute, AutNo is an apartment hunting service that will help you find a place to live near transit or major roads, and even estimates how long your commute would be from the apartment you're looking at.

Dear Lifehacker,
I'm about to hit the road for to visit family. It's a really long trip, and since I won't be driving, I'd like to make the most of the time without going crazy from boredom. I could play video games or rip some movies, but that gets boring after a few hours. I want something that works my brain a…

Android: Google Maps for Android updates today with several improvements, but the most notable is a new Transit Navigation feature that adds GPS-assisted, stop-by-stop navigation for public transit. Launch it, set your destination, and, among other things, it buzzes and tells you when it's time to get off the train.